Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Samsung Electronics Co. agreed to acquire Viv Labs, a start-up developing an artificial intelligence platform designed to be "the intelligent interface to everything." Financial terms were not disclosed.

Viv's AI platform will give third-party developers the power to use and build conversational assistants and integrate a natural language-based interface into renowned applications and services. The company said its strengths include a sophisticated natural language understanding, machine learning capabilities and strategic partnerships.

Viv was founded by AI visionaries Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham. As part of the acquisition, the founding team will work closely with Samsung’s Mobile Communications business, but continue to operate independently under its existing leadership.

“Unlike other existing AI-based services, Viv has a sophisticated natural language understanding, machine learning capabilities and strategic partnerships that will enrich a broader service ecosystem,” said Injong Rhee, CTO of the Mobile Communications business at Samsung Electronics. “Viv was built with both consumers and developers in mind. This dual focus is also what attracted us to Viv as an ideal candidate to integrate with Samsung home appliances, wearables and more, as the paradigm of how we interact with technology shifts to intelligent interfaces and voice control.”